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T H E .M I S T 

A UTILE I'Ljr W~ 
THREP S^FNES ' 

BY 
JULIA ELLSWORTH FORD 



3 



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THE MIST 

A LITTLE PLAY IN 
THREE SCENES 

BY 
JULIA ELLSWORTH FORD 



PRIVATELY PRINTED 

NEW YORK 

I 9 I 2 



7 5 3rft 



Copyright, IQ12 
By Julia Ellsworth Ford 



©OLD 29091 



To 
John H. Huddleston and Percy MacKaye 

this little play is dedicated 
in friendship 



PERSONS 

The Prince 

The Princess Nephele 

The Painter 

The Princess' Slave-Maiden, Loka 

The Prince's Page 



Blow the mist from the Crystal Glass, 
Behold the mystic vision pass, 
Behold the passing — one perfect day. 
Immortal is a perfect thing 
Eternal in its perfecting. 

Blow the mist from the Crystal Glass, 
Behold the mystic vision pass, 
Love, an infinite longing, — pain. 
Vanishing, ever a will-o'-the-wisp. 
Beckoning, wandering in the mist. 

Blow the mist from the Crystal Glass, 
Behold the vision, hold it fast, 
Behold, a wandering dream, — a joy. 
Seeking ever a passionate gleam. 
Nestling, a mist-enfolded dream. 
Descending mist on the Crystal Glass, 
Behold the vanishing vision pass. 



THE MIST 



Place 



A dense forest on one side, on the other a great 
castle is built out of the natural rocks, stone steps 
lead up to a wide rugged balcony, the balcony 
encircles a half tower and part of the castle, a 
large leaded window in the tower reaches to the 
floor and opens on the balcony overhanging the 
sea: the sound of the waves dashing against 
the rocks is heard. The rocks form also a part 
of the wall which surrounds the place. At the 
back, in an opening of the rock, an iron gate, 
through which a glimpse of the sea. 



THE MIST 

Scene I 

Spring 

(Enter Prince and Page) 

The Prince 

Have you done as I bid you? My horse, and 
my men must be here quickly. I have news 
which bids me hence. I must away at once. 
Did you summon the slave maiden? 



Page 
Yes, my Lord, she is coming. 



{Enter Loka) 



The Prince 
Loka, tell your mistress to come to me at once. 

Loka 
Yes, my Lord. 

{Exit Loka) 

[9] 



The Princess 

(Enters slowly with downcast eyes. Her gown 
is soft silver grey) 

The Prince 

I must bid you a hurried farewell. I am called 
away on matters of importance. You are to re- 
main in the castle until I return. Do not step 
beyond the enclosing wall. My mother will 
command while I am away. 

The Princess 

A prisoner, my Lord? Can lock and key guard 
all things? 

The Prince 

{Not heeding her question) 
You will obey? 

The Princess 
I am your slave. I will obey. 

The Prince 

Your body is slave, a weak obedience, but your 
spirit hid, harbors your spirit's power. I am 
wedded to your body, not your soul. If you 
would but raise those lids and let me look 
within, and read the language of those eyes, I 

[10] 



might know your thoughts. At your feet, you 
have all that earth can give, jewels, rich gowns 
and this great castle by the sea. What more 
can you want? You whom I captured as my 
slave, I have made a princess. 

The Princess 

{Quietly turning her head toward the sea) 
I was a child. I am a woman. 

The Prince 
What are you gazing at so far away? 

The Princess 

{Dreamily) 
The sea has its ebb and flow. How beautiful is 
the flight of the sea birds, they are so free. How 
wonderful the wandering spirit of the wind. 



Page 

{Enters hurriedly) 
My Lord, your men and horse await you outside 



The Prince 

{Seizing the Princess by the wrist) 
Strange, mysterious being that you are, your 
world is not mine. 



The Princess 

[Flinching from him) 
You hurt me, my Lord. 

The Prince 

Farewell. I leave you in charge of my mother. 
You do not wish to sit for your portrait, al- 
though the greatest painter of Florence has trav- 
elled many miles to paint you, and has already 
lost much time. I must have your portrait. 
Why do you not wish to sit for your portrait? 
— ^You are silent. 

The Princess 

[Raising her head) 
My Lord. I^ — beseech you — 

The Prince 

[Interrupting impatiently) 
Again I ask why you do not wish your portrait 
painted. I must have my way. 

The Painter 

[Enters, gazing at the Princess) 

The Princess 

[Feeling the power and spell of his eyes upon 

her) 
My Lord, I will sit for my portrait. 

[12] 



The Painter 

{Advances and kisses the Princess' hand, then 

turns to the Prince) 
I hear you are going to leave us. 

The Prince 
Yes, important news calls me away. The Prin- 
cess will sit for her portrait and on my return 
I shall expect to find your masterpiece finished. 

The Painter 
If such beauty can be transposed, then the gods 
be with me. I tremble at my task. Not only 
must I master form, but image this gentle spirit, 
this tender soul ; the task is a difficult one. 

The Prince 
Then more the glory if you master it. I must 
now make haste. 

{He kisses the Princess' hand, saying) 
Farewell ! 

The Painter 

{Turning to the Princess and gazing at her lov- 
ingly) 
At last you have consented ! 

The Princess 

{Looking away from him) 
I saw your eyes. 

{Then turning toward the stone stairs she 
slowly mounts a few steps) 

[13] 



The Painter 

I am impatient to begin. Where shall it be, 
dear Princess Nephele? 

(Gazing intently at her, he follows her) 
Oh, you are so beautiful, it will be a joy indeed 
to paint you. 

The Princess 

See, the tenderness of Spring is stealing into all 
living things. The breathing leaves are whis- 
pering; soon the delicate woodland flowers will 
wreath the sombre woods; and the rippling 
waves are chasing one another in joy. 
Last Winter the slender trees were bare and 
whiplike against the sky, the blossoms in the 
woods in unborn silence, and the waters' sur- 
face cold and frozen — only the turbulent under- 
current struggling to free itself. 

The Painter 
And now? — 

{The Princess Nephele smiling, turns 
and slowly ascends the stone steps, paus- 
ing one moment in the doorway of the 
tower, where she looks down, returning 
his gaze intently, saying) 

The Princess 
And now? — 

[and then as if in a dream she gazes at 
the sea. The Painter walks into the for- 

[14] 



est. The Princess turns to enter her case- 
ment, stops and, watching a captive bird 
in its cage hung near the casement, she 
sings the following song:) 

O passionate wild thoughts 

Hedged round with ghostly fears, 

O passionate wild bird 

Beat thy wings against thy bars with tears; 

My thoughts and thou are prisoners. 

Peace, peace, O frail and passionate wild bird. 

If I could break my prison cage 
And thou couldst wing 

Thy wandering ways, 
We would be free, and pass 

Into the unfathomable maze. 
Though we be lost in the abysmal night, 

Too long held prisoners since dim ancient 
days. 

Sing, sing, O passionate wild bird. 
Sing thy prayer, thy dream of flight, 
I understand. 

I cannot sing, I can but dream, 

And bear these captive thoughts in this 
strange land. 



[IS] 



THE MIST 



Scene II 

The Princess 

and 
The Painter 

The Painter 

Where shall I paint your portrait, dear Princess, 
in the garden, or here on this balcony made in 
these wonderful rocks overlooking the sea, 
where we can hear the lapping of the waves on 
the rocks below? 

The Princess 

Here, here where I can watch the sea and the 
mist beyond. 

The Painter 

It is best here, for it is always here that I think 
of you, stepping from your window on to this 
rocky balcony, looking down into the depths of 
' [i6] 



the deep water, or looking far out into the hori- 
zon. When I look at your lips they are always 
smiling — that wonderful smile. How shall I 
paint it unless I paint you in the laughter of the 
sunlight, and then I raise my eyes and see your 
half-closed eyes, whose long black lashes curl 
till it seems as if your dark eyes were looking 
at me, and all the silent sorrow of life were held 
within ; and then the sunlight fades and I would 
paint you in the mist. Will you not open your 
eyes and look at me? 

The Princess 

Look, look, dear friend, look, the mist is rising, 
the mist is whispering to the sea. 

The Painter 

(Interrupting) 
You are trembling. 

The Princess 

{Continuing dreamily) 
And the white sea birds as they move over the 
water seem like gentle rolling waves, and clus- 
ter upon the edge of the deep water-grass like 
foam from dashing waters. On the shore, and 
beyond, the subtle delicate line of cloud hills are 
bathed in distant purple, and up, above, the lin- 
gering clouds are tinged with soft lights. 

[17] 



The Painter 

We must begin the portrait to-day, dear Prin- 
cess, we have already lost many days — nay, they 
were not lost. 

The Princess 

See how quiet the sea is! The mist is veiling 
the sea and is shutting out the sunset's flush. 

{She stretches out her arm toward the 
mysterious mist creeping slowly toward 
them) 

The Painter 

There! I will paint you as you stand — your sil- 
ver grey dress clinging to you in the wind, your 
delicate gauze veil falling over your shoulders, 
falling from your out-stretched arms to the 
ground, trembling like your body in the breeze, 
and the deep, red rose, nestling like a dove in 
its nest, in the low knot of your parted, straight, 
black hair, and the little white hand reaching 
out — for what, dear Nephele, for what? 

The Princess 

The mist is creeping slowly toward us, and now 
sea and sky and mist are one. And the wind 
bathes my face in cool fluttering dashes, roaring 
in my ears like the sound in the sea shells. The 
water, air, and earth seem all at peace — Ah, 
what is Peace? 

[i8] 



The Painter 

You are so beautiful, just as you are! I must 
paint and keep you so for all the ages — all in 
grey; grey rocks, the grey sea and the mist be- 
yond, and the restless seabirds, only the red rose 
for colour. That wistful, wonderful look! 
Your pale face of sunshine and shadow. 

{Then after a silence he says) 
You promised to tell me to-day where the Prince 
saw you for the first time. 

The Princess 

My Lord found me after a terrible battle. All 
his enemies on the coast town were killed, the 
women without mercy were saved for the men. 
I fled, frightened, alone, and found shelter on 
the rocks, by the sea. When he saw me he ap- 
proached. I did not move. " You are beauti- 
ful," he said, " I claim you as my slave, follow 
me." I did not move. " Follow me," he com- 
manded. 

{She is silent for a moment, then continues) 
I was his slave — You have released me from his 
bondage. 

The Painter 

I love you, I love you, yet no one could look at 
you and not love you. To have felt such love 
once is a divine gift. God's light through men. 

[19] 



O mysterious being, are you woman, or some 
beautiful personification of Love dropped down 
from the soundless mystery? 

The Princess 

Strange how time mingles yesterday and to-day 
in one. Yesterday I was not, to-day I am — Oh, 
the mist no longer sleeps, dear friend, it is clos- 
ing around me. I am afraid. 

[The Painter rises and puts his arms 
about her, and kisses her hand) 

The Painter 

Do not fear, dear Princess. 

(The red rose falls from her hair) 
See, the red rose falls on my heart, it is mine. 

The Princess 

The mist is blinding me — The bell, the bell, do 
you not hear the bell in the mist? At night the 
mist steals up and beckons me. 

(The bell is heard softly at first and then 

slightly louder) 

The Painter 

This day and this hour I have lived in joy, come 
what will. You are not mine because you are 
another's; yet you no longer belong to him, 
because you are mine. 

[20] 



The Princess 

The mist, the mist, dear friend, do you hear the 
bell? Fold me in your arms, it is so I would be 
lost in the great mystery. You have given my 
soul wings wherewith to fly; you have stirred 
my heart with the depth of your voice; you 
have taught my eyes to gaze inward, finding 
beauty therein; you have given me Love, the 
everlasting possession of my soul. Oh, the touch 
of your tender hands awaken wonders that I 
dreamed of but never knew, and now your 
strong kind arm makes wonder more than 
dream. 

The Painter 

I cannot see your eyes, the mist envelops us, but 
I know they are open. I can feel their depths. 
My shrine is in those eyes. The mist hides all 
things. The mist is only shadow, dear, the light 
is still beyond, as darkness is the veil of light, 
and night is the shadow of day. 

The Princess 

I was in a dream, I am awake. The world is 
different when love is found. Now I under- 
stand for the first time sorrow and happiness. 
Dear friend, the mist surrounds me, but I am 
no longer afraid, for I have felt love. 

{The mist enfolds them and they no 
longer can be seen; the hell tolls quiet- 
[21] 



ly. After a few moments this song is 
heard from the Princess' window) 

In this prison cage 

my song I cannot sing, 
For the wind would bear 

my secret on his wing. 
Yet dear wind if I 

whisper in thine ear, 
Quiet, soft and low, 

Love and God alone can hear. 

For dear wind, divine 

and earthly love has come to me, 
But the mist enfolds 

my Heart, I cannot see. 
Deep, deep I drank 

from the well, that sets me free. 
And I breathe the cool 

shadow of the Great Green Tree. 



[22] 



THE MIST 

Scene III 

Summer 

{Dawn — The bell is quietly tolling. The 
figure of a man is faintly seen through 
the mist groping his way to the Princess^ 
lighted window. Men below with lan- 
terns moving to and fro in great con- 
fusion. Sound of the waves on the rocks 
below) 

The Painter 

{Knocking at the Princess' window) 
Princess, dear Nephele, come to your window, 
I heard your voice calling me in my sleep. 

{Knocking again with agitation on the 

window) 
Come to your window, why do you not answer 
me? 

{Men with lanterns moving to and fro 

in the mist) 

[23] 



{The painter shakes the window vio- 
lently) 
I cannot undo the fastening! Loka, are you in 
there? Loka, where is the Princess? 

Loka 

{Flinging wide the casement and stepping out) 
The Princess cannot be found, Signor. 
We cannot find my beloved mistress. 
The men are searching everywhere. 
During the storm in the night my mistress called 
me and told me to shut the casement. The mist 
was entering, taking such strange forms, haunt- 
ing her, she said, as it rose up from the sea. She 
could not sleep, it oppressed her, and she cried 
out, " The loneliness of the sea is in my heart." 
I closed the casement, and she bade me go and 
sleep. This morning, only a short time ago, I 
entered the room to ask if all was well. Alas! 
I found the casement wide open and my mistress 
gone. Signor, where is my beloved mistress? 

The Painter 

I heard her voice calling me, and in my dream 
I saw her white arms held out to me. Do not 
pity me, she cried, my heart has found the great 
secret. Such love is only born of dreams; the 
dream is mine, the dream is true. I have lived 

[24] 



my dream, though short its life. Hark, I hear 
the bell ! The mist enshrouds me, but I am free. 
I am no longer a bond slave; you have set me 
free. It is the Eternity of Peace, yet the Fire 
of Anguish. 

(Men with lanterns are moving to and 

fro in the mist) 

A Voice 

(Crying from among them) 
Search along the clififs back of the castle where 
the tide comes in. 

LOKA 

[In despair) 
My mistress, oh, my beloved mistress. 

{Loud and violent knocking at the gate. 
Sound of men and horses without) 

A Second Voice 
Search along the sands, through the forest. 

The Prince 

{From without, commanding) 
Open, open the gate! 

LoKA 

It is my Lord returning, Signor! What shall I 
do? I fear the Prince, he is cruel. My beloved 
mistress ! 

[25] 



The Prince 

{Still shaking the gate violently) 
Open, open the gate! It is I, the Prince! 

The Painter 

(Despairingly) 
Oh Nephele! Nephele! 

{The mist descends, the bell continues to 
sound even after the fall of the curtain) 



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